Secondary battery.



No. 653,883. Patented my I7; |900.

A. nEuTennAHL.

SECONDARY BATTEBY (Application lod In'b. 1B, 4900.)

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'electrode of my device.

NTTEE STATES PATENT Ormon.

ARVID REUTERDAHL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF TVVO-THIRDS TO LEONARD H. CAMPBELL AND GEORGE F. TVESTON, OF SAME PLACE.

SECON DARY BATTERY.4

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters; Patent No. 653,883, dated July 17, 1900.

Application filed February 12, 1900. Serial No. 4,868.v (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARVID REUTERDAHL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage Batteries, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Like letters indicate like parts.

Figure l is a side elevation of the electrode, frame, and one of the sliding holding-plates of niyimproved device. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the electrode and frame. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a multiple form of my device. Fig. 4 is a sectional View of my invention as seen on line a; of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of a modified form of the Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of another modified form of the elec trode. Fig. S is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of another modified form of the electrode. Fig. l0 is a bottom elevation of the same. Fig. l1 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. l2 is a side elevation of another modified form of the electrode. Fig. 13 is a bottom elevation of the same. Fig. 14: is a view in end elevation showing the method of mounting and holding the composite plates in a jar, the latter being shown inlongitudinal cross-section.

My invention relates to storage batteries for the accumulation and distribution of electricity; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as hereinafter particularly described, and as specifically set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, A, B, C, and D represent four strips or pieces constituting the frame, united at the corners in any proper manner. The strips A and C are made with perforations through them, preferably equidistant, and the strip B has two narrow longitudinal slots ct h, near the edges thereof and parallel thereto. The strip D has two corresponding parallel longitudinal grooves. This frame is made of any suitable material which is a nonconductor of elecricity, preferably cedar or other wood adapted for the purpose.

E is the electrode, made of lead or other material capable of conducting electricity. The electrode E has the connector F, projecting therefrom at one end, and said connector is slotted, as shown at o. The electrode E also has a series of bars G of the same material as itself or of a dierent material, if desired, provided, however, that it is a conductor of electricity. It is, however, desirable that the electrode and its said bars be integral, and the best arrangement of said bars G is that shown in Figs. l and 3, where it is seen that they are parallel with each other and equally spaced and extend at right angles with the edge of the electrode, though I do not Wish to confine myself to the precise construction shown. I also use two strips H and I of wood or other suitable material and of a Width equal to the thickness of the frame, (see Fig. 2,) which strips are provided with perforaiions registering with those of the parts A and C of the frameand of the same size.

These strips H andl are as wide as the parts Y A and O are thick, but are of a greater length, so as to project beyond the frame at their ends. Theseprojectingportionsof saidstrips H and I constitute supporting means by which the composite plate may be sustained in the cell.

The electrode E, With its bars G, is cornbined with the frame A B O D and with the strips H and I by passing the free ends of said bars G through the perforations in thel parts A and O of said frame and in the strips H and I, and said ends projecting beyond the exterior face of t-he strip I are bent, clenched, or formed into heads d, thus securing the electrode and its bars irmly in position.

J K are two perforated holding-plates rectangular in` outline and of a size and thickness allowing their easy insertion through the slots (t and l) of the part B of the frame. The parts A and O of the frame are each inade with two parallel longitudinal grooves, as illustrated by dotted lines in Figs. l, 2, and 4, and the part D of said frame is also made with two parallel longitudinal grooves in which said holding-plates are seated when fully inserted in position. v The part B of the frame has two parallel openings or slots, as shown in Fig. 2, through which the holdingplates J K are inserted, as indicated in Fig. l. These holding-plates J and Kare made of any suitable acid-proof material, but'preferably of hard rubber or celluloid, and being thin perforated sheets are flexible. The per- IOO foi-ations shown at e in said holding-plates are quite small and numerous. The rectangular form of the holding-plates is preferred; but it is obvious that they may be of any other desired outline, and if contained in a cylindrical case they may be circular in shape.

In Fig. 3 I show a multiple form of my device in which the parts A l?) C D are made longer than are the corresponding exterior parts shown in Fig. l. Cross-pieces B/l and C extend, respectively, from the center of the part A' to the center of the part C and from the center of the part B to the center of thepart D'. All the parts A', C', B, and C have the two longitudinal parallel grooves, and the parts B B D all have two parallel longitudinal slots in one half thereof, respectively, and two parallel longitudinal slots in the other half thereof, respectively. In this modified form I can use eight flexible holdingplates, four on each side, which are inserted through the slots in the parts B D' and seated in the grooves in the part B. The parts A', C, and C are provided with equidistant perforations. An electrode E has a connector F', which is slotted at c. Said electrode has the parallel bars G', extending therefrom at right angles in a series, which bars pass through the perforations in the parts A, C, and C and have their free ends, which project beyond the exterior face of the part', clenched or headed, as at d.

In the spaces between the bars G and the iexible holding-plates J K, within the frame A B C D, is packed the active material N, which for the negative plates is preferably electrolytic lead, pure and granular, and for the positive plates the peroxid of lead. This active material is held in position by means of the flexible holding-plates J and K. The requisite number of these composite plates, so constructed and packed, are united by a lead strip which passes through the slots c of the several connectors F of the electrodes E and so form a cell.

The shape of the cross-bars extending from the electrode F. may be varied, and some modified forms are shown in Figs. 5 to 13, inclusive. In Figs. 5 and 6 are shown perforated cross-bars. In Figs. 7 and 8 are shown perforated corrugated cross-bars. In Figs. 9, 10, and ll are shown cross-bars provided at regular intervals with disks n, extending therefrom at right angles, and in Figs. l2 and 13 are shown cross-bars having four longitudinal wings on.

, While it is desirable that the frame and holding-plates should be made of a material or materials which are non-conductors of electricity, useful results may be secured by having the holding-plates alone or the frame alone, or both the holding-plates and frame, aswell as the electrode, made of a material capable of conducting electricity, provided that the composite plate so formed be pro'perly insulated, except where connected with other plates of the cell, and such a construction would be within the scope of my invention.

In Fig. 14 I showhow the composite plates are mounted, adjusted, and held in position in a jar to form myimproved storage battery. Proper holding-apertures are made in the strips of my frames, as'shown by dotted lines at e. Rods O are screw-threaded at both ends, respectively. Between the composite plates, respectively, are perforated washers P. The rods O pass through the holding-apertures of the frames and through the perforations of the washers, and on the screwthreaded ends, respectively, are the nuts Q and R. Nuts S and T are also screwed upon said rods, respectively, as adjusting-nuts, so as to abut the inner surfaces of the jar U. By means of the rods and their nuts Q and R, respectively, and the interposed Washers the composite plates are supported and separated at proper intervals, and the whole set of composite plates so formed is properly adjkusted and secured within the jar U by means of the nuts S and T. Said rods O, washers P, and nuts Q, R, and S are made of any suitable material which is a non-conductor of electricity, such as hard rubber, celluloid, or wood.

In storage batteries as heretofore commonly constructed the active material is held in openings, grooves, or depressions in the lead grids and is often applied in the form of a paste made from some compound of lead, as litharge, minium, and dilute sulfuric acid. These'grids not only serve to support the aetive material in position, but also form the electrodes for the conduction of the electricity. The area of the openings, grooves, or recesses which contain the active material is but a small fraction of the entire superficies of the lead grids. Asa consequence thebulk of the weight of a finished plate consists in the lead grids themselves and not in the active material. Stora-ge batteries which are so made are heavy and cumbersome, and this disproportionate weight is one of the principal objections to their use and makes them uuadapted to many kinds of work. It is obvious that the capacity of a storage battery does not depend upon its size or weight, but upon the quantityof active material contained therein. When such large masses of lead are used, as in grids of common construction,

there vis much opportunity for local action between the parts thereof, which contain dissimilar-ities, impurities, or certain foreign substances, and the small separate electric currents which are established between these' points reduce the capacity of the plates and tend to disintegrate them by electrolysis. Moreover, the large lead grids commonly used are liable to buckle or warp out of shape, being inelastic and unequally affected in different portions by electrolytic action, and thus their efficiency is greatly impaired or Wholly destroyed; but the most serious diniculty experienced in storage batteries having IOO IIO

such lead grids is that they do not sufficiently support the active material which they are intended to contain and hold in position. This material in general depends for its support to a large degree upon its cohesion to the surfaces of the grid, there being no external means provided by which it is confined in the receptacle made therefor in the sides of the grids. When a mass of the active material is loosened from the grid and projects, bulges, or falls outwardly therefrom, it is liable to come in contact with similarly displaced masses of the active material from an adjacent plate and so form a short circuit, greatly reducing the efciency of the battery. These various difficulties are avoided bythe construction of my improved plates.

As my electrode and cross-bars are not designed for supporting the active material, but only to conduct the electric currents, they are very light, and so the weight of the storage battery is reduced to a minimum. ln my device the bulk is not made up of the lead electrodes to any considerable extent, but of the active material itself, which insures a greater capacity per unit of weight than is possible in the use of lead grids of the usual construction. For the same reason'a storage battery provided with plates of my improved construction is much smaller and for both reasons is adapted to many new uses for which storage batteries on account of their weight and size have notloeen applied hitherto.

In my improved plate there is the greatest possible area of active material exposed to the direct action of the electrolyte.

As the electrodes and cross-bars are comparatively small, there is much less possibility of local action in my device from any dissimilarities or impurities found in their mass, and the life of the plate is correspondingly increased.

The use of the idexible holding-plate of thin sheets of a material which is a non-conductor of electricity results in the proper retention of the active material in place. Any effect thereon by the electrolyte which changes the form of its mass is compensated for by the elastic nature of the holding-plates, which yield readily to any conditions of the mass of the active material, and so there is absolute immunity from all buckling or warping action due to any uneven expansion of portions of the active material. The holding-plates by reason of their material, construction, and location adapt themselves to'such uneven expansion and yet maintain their strength and a sufficient rigidity and are free from all liability to crack or break. These holdingplates by their peculiar form and properties give to the plate a longer life than is possible when the supporting means are wholly composed of lead, because such lead supports cannot retain their mechanical stability and firmness for any considerable period of time when subjected to electrolytic action, and therefore become useless as supports for the active material. It is generally true of the ordinary lead supporting-plates that when the electrolytic action has made the lead grid useless as a mechanical support the electrical conditions of the active material are then the best. Hence there is an obvious advantage in using supporting means which will withstand electrolytic action and retain their mechanical strength and firmness unimpaired. This elastic action of the holding-plates,which lie externally to the mass of the active material surrounding the cross-bars of the electrodes, and also the smallness of the perforations in said holding-plates prevent the displacement, cleavage, loosening, or projection of any portion of the active material, so that it cannot fall out and bridge across the space intervening between the adjacent plates, and it is practically impossible for short circuits to be formed in the manner hereinb'efore described as common in storage batteries provided wit-h lead grids of the usual construction. In my device the construction and arrangement are such that all parts are readily accessible and detachable, and can therefore be easily repaired when necessary.

There is in this improved device the least possible contact between the electrolyte and the conducting electrode and bars, and therefore local action due to this cause is reduced to a minimum, and as the holding-plates so perfectly support the active material in position there is maintained a good and uniform contact of said material with the electrode and its bars.

I claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a frame, made of a material which is a non-conductor offelectricity, having perforations through two opposite parts thereof at corresponding intervals and in alinement, respectively, and one of its parts provided with two parallel, longitudinal slots, and an opposite part provided with two parallel, longitudinal grooves, an electrode having parallel cross-bars extending angularly therefrom, which are adapted to pass through the said perforations of the frame, two thin, perforated holding-plates, made of a material which is a non-conductor of electricity, and adapted to pass through said slots, and to be seated in said grooves, and a mass of active material surrounding the said cross-bars and filling the space between said perforated holding-plates and the inside edges of said frame, and capable of electrolytic action, when in contact with a suitable electrolyte, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a frame having perforations through two opposite parts thereof at corresponding intervals and in alinement, respectively, and one of its parts provided with two parallel, longitudinal slots, and an opposite part provided with two parallel, longitudinal grooves, an electrode having parallel cross-bars extending angularly there- IOO IIO

from, which are adapted to pass through the said perforations of the frame, two thin, perforated holding-plates adapted to pass through said slots and to be seated in said grooves, and a mass of active material surrounding the said cross-bars and filling the space between said perforated holding-plates and thel inside edges of said frame, and capable of electrolytic action, when in contact with a suit-` able electrolyte, substantially as described. y

3. The combination of a frame, made of a material which is a non-conductor of elec-` tricity, having perforations through two op` posite parts thereof at corresponding inter-l vals and in alinement, respectively, and one of itsn parts provided with two parallel, longitudinal slots, and an opposite part provided with two parallel, longitudinal grooves, an

' electrode having parallelcross-bars extend' ing angularly therefrom, which are adapted t'o pass through the said perforations of the frame and to be clenched or headed at their ends, respectively, two thin, perforated holding-plates, made of a material which is a non-` conductor of electricity, and adapted to pass through said slots, and to be'seated-"in saidY grooves, and a massv of active material surrounding the said Across-bars and filling the space between said perforated holding-plates` and the inside edge of said frame, and capable of electrolytic action, when in contact with a suitable electrolyte, substantially as specified.

4. VThe combination of a rectangular frame, made of a material, which is a non-conductor vof electricity, having perforations through two opposite sides thereof at corresponding intervals and in alinernent, respectively, and having one side thereof provided with two parallel, longitudinal slots, and the opposite side provided with two parallel, longitudinal grooves, astrip of a material, which is not a I conductor of electricity, having perforations Y are adaptedto pass through all said perforations of the frame and the strips and to bel clenched orheaded at their ends,respectively,

two thin, perforated holding-plates, made of a material which is a non-conductor of electricity, and adapted to pass through said slots,

contact with a suitable electrolyte, substan- .tially as shown.

5. Ina receptacle for the active material of a storage battery, the combination of a case ranged, flexible side pieces, provided withY perforations, all said parts being made of a material or materials not capable of conducting electricity, means adapted to secure .said side pieces to the frame in the grooves and slots thereof and to permit them to be .de-

tached therefrom, and an electrode, having bars projecting therefrom which extend into said case between said flexible and perforated side pieces, substantially as shown.

7. In a storage battery, the combination of a plurality of composite plates, each comprising a frame having holding-apertures and per- `forationsthrough it and twol oppositely-arranged flexible side pieces provided with per- Y forations, an electrodehaving bars projecting therefrom which extend through the perforations of the frame, a number ofA perforated washers interposed .between said composite plates, respectively, a-Vrod screw-threaded at both ends, which rod passes through the hold*- ing-apertures of sa id frames and of said Washers and nuts engaging the :screw-threaded ends, respectively, of said rod and bearing against the outer surfaces, respectively, `of the two outermost plates of the series, substantially as specified. Y i

8. In a storage battery, the combination of a jar, a plurality of composite plates, each comprising a frame having holding-apertures and perforationsthrough it and .two oppo` sitely-arranged flexible side pieces, provided with perforations, an electrode having bars projecting therefrom which extend through the perforations of the frame, a number of perforated washers interposed between said composite plates, respectively, a rod screwthreaded at both ends, which rod passes through the holding-apertures of said frames and of said Washers, nuts engaging said rod and bearing against the outer surfaces, re-V;

spectively, of the two outermost platesof the series and adjusting-nuts engaging with the ends of said rod and bearing against the inner surfaces of said jar, substantially as described.

yIn testimony whereof I `affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARVID REUTERDAHL. Witnesses:

WARREN R. PERCE, HOWARD A. LAMPREY.

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